I let him feel the tremor in his own grip.
“You think because you’ve got a few loyal dogs and a girl you fuck, you can dismiss what I’m saying now?”
“Careful,” I say softly. “You’re only still breathing because I let you.”
He glances toward the hallway, and I know who he’s looking for before he speaks. “Is she here?”
My blood runs hot. “Don’t.”
“She’s why you’re distracted. Why you’re sloppy. I knew the moment I saw her that she would cost you everything.”
“She already did,” I say.
For a second, he looks like he understands. Then his expression hardens. “You think love makes you strong, Benedikt? It doesn’t. It makes you predictable. And predictable men die fast in this business.”
“Then maybe it’s time the business changes.”
He studies me for a moment, the silence between us thick and familiar. Then he laughs again—quiet, bitter. “You’re still a boy playing king. I thought we’d grown up.”
“Maybe.” I tilt my head. “But even a boy with a gun can end a dynasty.”
He folds his arms. “You’re spiraling, Ben. You think no one notices, but I do. You’re not sleeping, you’re making recklessmoves, and now Ivan’s sniffing around again because his shit is getting fucked up.”
“Handle it.”
“I always do.” He pauses. “But this time, I can’t fix what’s wrong withyou.”
“Watch it.”
He exhales sharply and shakes his head. “You don’t scare me. You never did.”
He’s right, and that’s the problem. Artem’s the only person alive who can get away with talking to me like this.
“What are you accusing me of?” I ask.
“Losing focus.” He flexes his jaw. “You built this entire thing on control, but now you’re slipping. You’re thinking with your dick instead of your head.”
I clench my hands at my sides. “Careful.”
He smirks humorlessly. “What? You gonna shoot me, too? Or do I get a pass because I’m not the girl who betrayed you?”
My blood spikes. “I saidwatch it.”
He steps closer. “I told you from the beginning that she’d be a problem. You said you had it under control. That she was just a debt you needed to collect.” His eyes flick toward the hallway. “Looks to me like the debt’s collecting you.”
“That’s enough.”
“You’re protecting her like she’s family. She ran, she lied, and you’re still giving her a place to sleep. What happens when she burns you again? You gonna let her walk a second time?”
I grit my teeth, forcing my voice steady. “She’s not walking anywhere.”
“That’s the problem. You’re keeping her because you can’t let her go, not because it’s good for business.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Yeah? Let me guess. The marriage, the heir, the neat little deal that’s supposed to make all of this worth it? She’s not built for this life, Ben. You know it, I know it, and your old man sure as hell knows it. You’re trying to make something pure out of a world that’s rotten.”
“She signed the contract,” I snap. “Five years. A marriage. An heir. She gets everything she wanted. A bakery, money, and security. It’s a business arrangement.”
